Saint-Pierre is among Médoc's oldest estates - the château has 15th century elements while the vineyard was known in the 17th century as Serançan, when it belonged to Marquis de Cheverry. The modern name came a century later: the estate was acquired by Baron de Saint-Pierre in the late 1700s, and on his death passed to his daughters. Then followed a complex history of ownership, involving divisions (the origins of Château du Glana and later Lalande-Borie) and re-acquistions, mostly featuring descendants of Saint-Pierre, the Bontemps-Dubarry family, and purchaser Léon Sevaistre (both names appended to Château Saint-Pierre at various times). In 1982, the estate came to Henri Martin, owner of nearby Château Gloria. Under him, and today daughter Françoise and husband Jean-Louis Triaud, the wine's reputation has steadily climbed.

Latest poll

You may have heard of a new wine gadget selling for just under US$300 called 'Coravin' which claims to allow wine to be tasted multiple times from the same bottle without ever removing the cork. Are you...

Intrigued. It sounds like a great idea and I would be interested in buying one (1263 vote, 29%)

Cautious, I would have to see it in action before I made my mind up (1239 vote, 28%)

Sceptical, I wouldn't risk it with my old and rare vintages (687 vote, 16%)

Not interested - if I want a glass of wine I'll just open the bottle (1179 vote, 27%)